Smaller meeting this week......

A much smaller than usual group met this week with some members still entertaining visitors or away themselves.  We had a general discussion about our autumn exhibition, with most members agreeing to display some of their recent work.  Plans are moving ahead organizing the actual display and Jan and Kath are working on the "volunteer rota", allocating various responsibilities to group members.  Rozanne collected the raffle quilt and says she will probably have the hand quilting done in a couple of weeks.  After that we can retake photos of the quilt along with other draw prizes and start work on the flyers so that  members can begin selling raffle tickets which this year will be priced at €2.50 for a strip of 5 tickets.    The prizes this year include two patchwork quilts, made by group members, a king size crochet blanket donated to the group part finished and completed by a member of the group, two woven crochet blankets made and donated by group members along with various smaller prizes, some also made and donated by group members.
Part of the exhibition will feature quilts made during two workshops held in the past two years, one being the Row-by-Row quilts made in Christine Speller's workshop, more details of which can be seen HERE .  This week Cath brought her completed quilt in to show us.

Cath enjoyed the hand embellishing on her quilt so much, it took longer than she expected to finish as she kept adding more and more as she went on, like the forest of hearts hanging between the trees seen below.

Pam is still in Christmas mode and practiced free motion quilting on her new sewing machine on this little seasonal wall hanging

I didn't ask Marilyn what project she is working on, but this bobbin lace always looks so complicated.  It amazes me that she can concentrate and get the design right with so much going on around her each week.  I know I couldn't!

Elle has been busy hand quilting her batik applique blocks, and is confident she will finish this quilt ready to show it at the exhibition. 

Gladys and Margaret take time for  break while working on their current projects

and Elizabeth and Simone catch up while knitting

We have seen topsy-turvy dolls from other group members in knitting yarn, but Eleanor made this doll for her daughter many years ago from fabric.  Eleanor says it was so well loved and played with it's now quite fragile and in need of repair.  Eleanor intends deconstructing it all, giving it a good wash and then if necessary will replace worn parts before reconstructing it again.  It will certainly last many more years after this repair I would think.

The happy doll above, and her sad counterpart below

Elle is seen here working on her Vintage Tiles Revisited quilt panels.  A couple of posts ago I mentioned Kath was also working on this quilt, but her project has come to a halt as she searches out additional fabric of which she has run short.

Jacqueline has almost completed her bobbin lace bookmark, under Marilyn's guidance and help

Sue is making progress with the silk ribbon picture which she began at a workshop held by Elle a few months ago.

Carol is in the process of making her version of a bargello-style quilt with sashing strips separating the columns of colours, and Pam is beginning another quilting project using cotton patchwork fabrics and denim, even though she said she wouldn't make another denim quilt after making one some time ago for her son in law.  Obviously Pam has forgotten what she said before about how hard it was to work with denim!

Yvonne and Helen are working on their hand stitched projects, they look really hard at work here, but this is unusual, as there is usually more chatting than stitching at their table!  Below, Gwen is quietly concentrating on her latest knitting project.

That's about it this week, but if you head over to our website, you will be able to see the latest members' gallery updates for Ann showing a drawstring bag made for her friends daughter, some machine embroidery from Tricia, and some of the journal quilts I have made as part of an online workshop with Ineke Berlyn.  There should be at least five little quilts here, but I am woefully behind with only three made so far.  The intention is to make an A4-sized quilt for each month, beginning last January, and as I'm so far behind I am picking the ones I consider easiest to do first and not working in order like Yvonne who is up to date with hers and is no doubt working on June's quilt as I write!  

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time, Rachel